ARTICLE IN PRESS

STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS TYPES OF FERTILISER ON THE PRODUCTION OF OIL PALM ROOT CUTTING

CECEP IJANG WAHYUDIN1; HARIYADI1*; SUDRAJAT1; SUDIRMAN YAHYA1 and SYAIFUL ANWAR2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21894/jopr.2024.0026
Received: 20 July 2023   Accepted: 29 December 2023   Published Online: 4 April 2024
ABSTRACT

In the context of Indonesia, the cultivation of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is extremely significant and the application of diverse fertiliser variants can affect crop yield through the implementation of root-cutting methods. The modification of root morphology is also a strategy to address the issue of suboptimal nutrient uptake and soil physical properties exert a significant influence on the development. Therefore, this study used a nested plot design as the main plot, comprising plants aged 7, 12, and 16 years. The subplots were demarcated by fertiliser types, including control (no fertilisation), single fertiliser K (2.25 kg KCl/tree), palm frond litter (65 kg/tree), and empty fruit bunches (65 kg/tree). Furthermore, the treatment was replicated 4 times, resulting in a total of 48 experimental units. The results showed that plants aged 7 years exhibited the most robust growth compared to 12 and 16 years, across all fertiliser types, as indicated by stem circumference, stem diameter, and NDVI values. Regarding the primary, secondary, and tertiary optimal root distribution, 7 year old plants responded to K fertiliser. However, tertiary distribution did not significantly differ from 12 year-old plants when K fertiliser was applied. The nutrient levels in 7 year old and 12 year old plants varied in terms of pH, organic carbon (C-organic), and potassium (K).

KEYWORDS:


1 Department of Agronomy and Horticulture,
IPB University, Bogor,
16680 Indonesia.

2 Department of Soil Science and Land Resources,
Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Bogor,
16680 Indonesia.

* Corresponding author e-mail: hariyadibdp@apps.ipb.ac.id